Are you a culturally savvy Christian?
I’ve been reading The Culturally Savvy Christian by Dick Staub. I’m finding it to be a very fascinating book.
In the middle of the book, the author outlines and defines the different kinds of love: affection, friendship, eros, and agape. Each one of those loves is necessary to enrich our culture and share Christ’s love with others. Agape love, the most important, is the love of Jesus. It is a giving love, not getting. “We long for true community but cannot achieve it with natural love alone; we need agape” (page 116).
I think about this giving love (agape) in my work world. I’m responsible for about 30 children everyday for before/after school care. Those children (and their families) need love …the love of Jesus. I strive to show Jesus’ love to these elementary-aged children in holistic ways: spiritually, intellectually, creatively, morally, and behaviorally …and in ways without saying the name Jesus or the word love.
I show love by offering them healthy snacks every afternoon that I know they will eat and enjoy. I offer them various activities to strengthen their minds and creativity …reading, art projects, table games, and gross-motor active games. All at the same time, I strive to model moral and ethical behaviors descriptive of Jesus. For many of these children, I am the only “Jesus” they see and experience. I’m working to be a culturally savvy Christian in which “the glow of God’s presence is fueled by love” (page 125).
How about you?
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